between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. Ethics or simple honesty is the building blocks upon which our whole society is based, and business is a part of our society, and it is integral to the practice of being able to conduct business, that you have a set of honest standards. Ethical leadership Ethical leadership involves both acting and leading ethically over time all the time. Ethical leadership is knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good. Ethical leadership is about raising the bar, helping people to realize their hopes and dreams, creating value for stakeholders, and doing these tasks with the intensity and importance that ethics connotes. Ethical leaders Ethical leaders embody the purpose, vision, and values of the organization and of the constituents, within an understanding of ethical ideals. They connect the goals of the organization with that of the internal employees and external stakeholders. It is important for leaders to tell a compelling and morally rich story, but ethical leaders must also embody and live the story. Ethical leaders are ordinary people who are living their lives as examples of making the world a better place. Ethical leaders speak to us about our identity, what we are and what we can become, how we live and how we could live better. Need of Ethical leadership Ethical leadership models ethical behavior to the organization and the community. Ethical leadership builds trust. Ethical leadership brings credibility and respect, both for you and for the organization. Ethical leadership can lead to collaboration. Ethical leadership creates a good climate within the organization. If you have opposition, or are strongly supporting a position, ethical leadership allows you to occupy the moral high ground. Ethical leadership is simply the right way to go. Ethical leadership affords self-respect. General guidelines for practicing ethical leadership Ethical leadership requires a clear and coherent ethical framework on which the leader can draw in making decisions and taking action. Your ethical framework should agree with the ethical framework, vision, and mission of the organization or initiative. Ethics should be a topic of discussion. Ethics should be out in the open. Ethical thought must be connected to action. Ethical leadership is a shared process. Components of ethical leadership
Put the good of the organization and the
general good before your own interests and ego. Encourage the discussion of ethics in general and of the ethical choices involved in specific situations and decisions as an ongoing feature of the organizational culture. Institutionalize ways for people to question your authority. Dont take yourself too seriously. Consider the consequences to others of your decisions, and look for ways to minimize harm. Treat everyone with fairness, honesty, and respect all the time. Treat other organizations in the same way you treat other people with fairness, honesty, and respect. Collaborate inside and outside the organization. Communicate. Work to become increasingly culturally and interpersonally competent. Take cultural sensitivity and cultural competence seriously. Work to be inclusive. Take your leadership responsibility seriously, and be accountable for fulfilling it. Constantly strive to increase your competence. Dont outstay your usefulness. Never stop reexamining your ethics and your leadership. 4-V Model of Ethical leadership The 4-V Model of Ethical Leadership is a framework that aligns the internal (beliefs and values) with the external (behaviors and actions) for the purpose of advancing the common good. The model was created by Dr. Bill Grace based on his formal leadership research and personal passions around faith and ethics. 4-V Model Values. Ethical leadership begins with an understanding of and commitment to our individual core values. By first discovering the values at the core of our identities, we begin the process of integrating our unique values with our choice-making on all levels of our personal and civic lives. Download our self-guided Core Values Exercise here. Vision- Vision refers to the category of intentions that are broad, all-intrusive and forward-thinking. Vision is the ability to frame our actions particularly in service to others within a real picture of what ought to be. Voice. Claiming our voice is the process of articulating our vision to others in an authentic and convincing way that animates and motivates them to action. Virtue. Understanding that we become what we practice, we foster virtue by practicing virtuous behavior striving to do what is right and good. In this way, we develop the character of virtue. In particular, virtue stands for the common good. Ethical leaders ask, How are my values, vision and voice in keeping with the common good? Service. Service connects Vision to Values, indicating that when our values are tested and tried through service to others, the latent vision within them is often revealed.
Polis. Polis is the Greek word for city, and the
root of the English word, politics. As we learn to give voice to our vision in the context of a public act, we are engaged in the art of politics.
Renewal. As Voice returns to Values, the territory
of our work changes to renewal. As we express our voice in multiple ways, we need to break from the action on a regular basis to consider if our actions are congruent with our values and vision. Ethical Leadership Kohlbergs Framework Liberty Equality Dignity Justice Human Rights Ethical Leadership must learn to apply these concepts to followers Framework for developing ethical leadership Articulate and embody the purpose and values of the organization- It is important for leaders to tell a compelling and morally rich story, but ethical leaders must also embody and live the story. This is a difficult task in todays business environment where everyone lives in a fishbowlon public display. Focus on organizational success rather than on personal ego- Ethical leaders understand their place within the larger network of constituents and stakeholders. It is not about the leader as an individual, it is about something biggerthe goals and dreams of the organization. Ethical leaders also recognize that value is in the success of people in the organization.
Find the best people and develop them- Ethical
leaders pay special attention to finding and developing the best people precisely because they see it as a moral imperativehelping them to lead better lives that create more value for themselves and for others. Finding the best people involves taking ethics and character into account in the selection process. Create a living conversation about ethics, values and the creation of value for stakeholders- The basics of value creation, stakeholder principles and societal expectations should be routinely discussed and debated. Having such conversations means that people have knowledge of alternatives that they must choose every day to stay with the organization and its purpose because it is important and inspires them Create mechanisms of dissent- Many of the current corporate scandals could have been prevented if only there were more creative ways for people to express their dissatisfaction with the actions of some of their leaders and others in the companies. The process of developing these mechanisms of dissent will vary by company, by leadership style, and by culture, but it is a crucial leadership task for value creation in todays business world. Take a charitable understanding of others values-Ethical leaders can understand why different people make different choices, but still have a strong grasp on what they would do and why. Make tough calls while being imaginative-Ethical leaders do not attempt to avoid difficult decisions by using an excuse of Im doing this for the business. The ethical leader consistently unites doing the right thing and doing the right thing for the business. Know the limits of the values and ethical principles they live- Ethical leaders have an acute sense of the limits of the values they live and are prepared with solid reasons to defend their chosen course of action. Problems can arise when managers do not understand the limits of certain values. All values have limits, particular spheres in which they do not work as well as others.
Frame actions in ethical terms-Ethical
leaders see their leadership as a fully ethical task. This entails taking seriously the rights claims of others, considering the effects of ones actions on others (stakeholders), and understanding how acting or leading in a certain way will have effects on ones character and the character of others. Connect the basic value proposition to stakeholder support and societal legitimacy- The ethical leader must think in terms of enterprise strategy, not separating the business from the ethics. The Ten Commandments of Ethical Leadership 1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self- centered. Love and trust them anyway. 2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. 3. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies. Do good anyway. 4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 5. Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. 6. The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest ideas. Think big anyway. 7. People favor underdogs, but follow top dogs. Fight for the underdog anyway. 8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway! 9. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help. Help people anyway. 10. Give the world the best you got and you may get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.